Ion Ștefanovici, President of CAPDR

For years, in every train station, bus terminal, or airport connecting Moldova to the rest of the world, we witness the same painful scene: young people with backpacks, embracing their parents, grandparents, siblings—and leaving. Some head to Bucharest, others to Germany, Italy, the UK, or Ireland. It has become a common sight. Some call it “globalization.” I call it a loss.

But I also believe something else: this situation is not destiny. Moldova is not doomed to remain a region of transit or a supplier of labor. Our young people would stay—if they felt it was worth it. If they saw that here, at home, they could build a life, grow, work with dignity, and start a family.

I won’t promise, on behalf of CAPDR, that everything will be solved overnight. But I have the courage to say that we are beginning to change things. The Regional Economic Forum Moldova — FERM 2025 — will be the most important working platform for this goal.

As part of FERM 2025, we will engage in dialogue with the universities of Suceava, Iași, and Bacău, with the business community, and with local authorities to design concrete alternatives for young people: dual education programs, paid internships, innovation centers, and the integration of MoldovaHUB as a bridge between education and the labor market.

We can no longer talk about the future without placing young people at the heart of this effort. We may not stop everyone from leaving, but we will build strong reasons for the next generation to stay. FERM 2025 is not just an event—it will be, for CAPDR and its partners, the start of a real project in which young people from Moldova are no longer just “those who leave,” but those who build.

We believe Moldova can be a place where young people choose to stay. But we cannot do this without you—teachers, entrepreneurs, authorities, students, parents!

If you want to be part of the change, click the link, register, write to us, and get actively involved in FERM 2025!

👉 Find out more and contact the team.